The Kent Cos. to build bigger convenience store after weekend crash

Published 5:00 pm, Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The Kent Cos. plans to rebuild its Midland County Kent Kwik convenience store that was destroyed Saturday morning after a tractor- trailer crashed through the structure.

The timeline hasn’t been set, but owner Bill Kent said the new building will be larger and have more upgrades.

Multiple insurance companies are now involved with the reconstruction, Kent said, which makes it difficult to determine who’s responsible for the cost and how long the project could take.

Brian Lee Brock, a 33-year-old Seminole man, drove a pickup through a stop sign at the intersection of Farm-to-Market Road 1213 and State Highway 158, causing the tractor trailer to veer off the road and into the Kent Kwik, according to Elena Viramontes, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety.

Brock, who was cited for running the stop sign, sustained minor injuries. It’s possible he had fallen asleep after working an overnight shift, Viramontes said in an e-mail statement.

The tractor-trailer driver was not injured, she said.

“This could have been an awful disaster,” Kent said. “We could be dealing with a lot worse than the loss of a building and some merchandise.”

The convenience store, at 4101 E. State Highway 158, was unique from other Kent Kwik locations. The store had a dining area where customers could eat, he said.

The tractor-trailer slammed through the part of the store where patrons usually sit. The collision happened about 7:40 a.m., and Kent said customers typically would be sitting in the dining area but likely weren’t on Saturday because it was a holiday weekend.

All of the employees have been transferred to other local Kent Kwik locations. The Kent Cos. is based in Midland and operates more than a dozen convenience stores throughout the county.

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“We would never let them be without a job,” Kent said.

The company plans to offer each employee a position at the new building once it’s complete, he said.